The first attempt to assassinate a president was on Andrew Jackson by Richard Lawrence, a house painter. Both of his guns misfired, however - an event that statisticians say could occur only once in 125,000 times. Andrew Jackson then chased Lawrence with his walking stick. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/2/13

A cat can't climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat's paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/3/13

Each year, several pounds of soil can accumulate in and under a carpet. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/4/13

Egyptologists and followers of mysticism have been fascinated for centuries by the fact that the Great Pyramid at Giza seems to approximate pi. The vertical height of the pyramid has the same relationship to the perimeter of its base as the radius of a circle has to its circumference. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/5/13

Before sandpaper was invented, people used the rough skin of sharks, called shagreen, to smooth and polish wood. Japanese warriors wrapped the skin around the handles of their swords to keep the swords from slipping out of their hands. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/6/13

Stone-age hunters worshipped and hunted bears at the same time. To show their respect, they sang and danced and prayed that the bear would forgive them for killing it. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/7/13

Grover Cleveland was the only president in history to hold the job of a hangman. He was once the sheriff of Erie County, New York, and twice had to spring the trap at a hanging. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/8/13

A man is forbidden to kiss a woman while she's asleep in Logan County, Colorado. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/9/13

A section of the Great Wall of China in the Gansu province may disappear in the next 20 years due to erosion. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/10/13

Approximately 77% of all cancers are diagnosed in people who are 55 years old or older. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/11/13

In advertisements for children, child actors are typically older than the target audience. For example, a commercial for 8-year-olds will show 11- or 12-year-old models playing with an 8-year-old toy. Advertisers use older children as role models, as an image of what younger children will want to be like. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/12/13

As businesses and farms closed during the Great Depression, an alarming number of Americans began turning to crime - such as Bruno Hauptmann, who kidnapped and murdered Charles Lindbergh's 20-month-old son; John Dillinger; Lester M. Gillis ("Baby Face" Nelson); Machine Gun Kelly; Pretty Boy Floyd; Ma Barker and her Boys; and the famous Bonnie and Clyde, who were actually despised by other Midwestern bandits who felt they lowered the standard of the profession. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/13/13

The Chinese invented kites ("paper birds" or "Aeolian harps") about 3,000 years ago. They were used to frighten enemies in battle, and Marco Polo (1254-1324) noted that kites were also used to predict the success of a voyage. It was considered bad luck to purposely let a kite go. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/14/13

Research indicates that a baby's name influences a baby's life into adulthood. For example, a newborn boy with a more "feminine" name could lead to behavioral problems in life. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/15/13

The first possible influenza epidemic may have occurred in Europe as early as 1173. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/16/13

Four times in the history of presidential elections, the candidate who won the most popular votes has not been elected president. This occurred in the 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000 elections. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/17/13

Amish men take about 18,425 steps per day. Amish women take about 14,196. The average American adult takes about 4,000 steps per day. Only 4% of Amish are obese, compared to 31% of the general population. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/18/13

When an enormous earthquake hit Lisbon in 1755, the city's terrified citizens rushed to the shore for safety. They were amazed to see seawater rushing away from the shore. Minutes later, a tsunami arrived. Ninety thousand residents were killed. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/19/13

Egypt's Nile River is the world's longest, running 4,135 miles (6,670 km). - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/20/13

The first Hollywood movie star is arguably Mary Pickford (1893-1979), who along with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists Corp (1919). At the peak of her popularity, she made a record-breaking $10,000 a week (over $196,000 in 2008 USD). - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/21/13

In 1971, the national debt was $75 million. In 2010, the debt rate rose that much once an hour. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/22/13

President Herbert Hoover was an orphan whose first job was picking bugs off potato plants, for which he was paid a dollar per hundred bugs. He also was a mine worker. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/23/13

In 1970, 66% of children walked to school. Today, only 13% walk. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/24/13

Five years prior to 2008, 11 banks failed. In 2008, 25 banks failed and were taken over by the FDIC. In 2009, 140 failed. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/25/13

The first probe to reach the moon was the Soviet space probe Luna 2. It crash-landed on the moon in 1959. The first probe, Luna 1, missed the moon by 3,000 miles (5,000 km). - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/26/13

While most wild animals avoid contact with humans, wild dolphins are known to play and associate with humans, especially children. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/27/13

If a person spent $1 every second, that would equal to $1 million dollars in 12 days. At this rate, it would take 32 years to spend $1 billion dollars. It would take 31,000 years to spend $1 trillion dollars. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/28/13

While general vocabulary and knowledge about the world often stays sharp through one's 70s, memory for names begins to decline as early as age 35. The ability to recognize faces and find one's car has already begun to wane by the 20s. However, research shows that brain stimulation not only stops cells from shrinking, but it can also increase brain cell and dendrite branching. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/29/13

It takes approximately six hours after drinking for the body to completely eliminate alcohol from its system with a blood alcohol content level of .08 g/dL. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/30/13

Seventy to 73% of child sexual abusers report experiencing sexual abuse in their own childhood. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

8/31/13

It is against Michigan state law to tie a crocodile to a fire hydrant. - Provided by RandomHistory.com